The best thing about doing a fully independent smalltime blog is that I can do whatever I want. I could wake up one day and decide I'm going to do nothing but write essays on Dictators songs for the rest of my life (at least I wouldn't have to change the name of the blog!). I can sneak sports predictions into record reviews (Phillies in seven). I can leave myself notes for my grocery list (Don't forget that six-pack of Abita Office Party!). And if I like a band so much that I want to review it 35 times (and counting!), there's no one above me to tell me I can't. So on that note, I am about to review Vista Blue for the 35th time (not counting my write-ups on Vista Blue rip-offs Ralphie's Red Ryders).
It seems odd after reviewing 35 Vista Blue releases to say that the latest, No Cliques, No Trends, is definitively the best of all of them. But I can't name a better release from the VB catalog. If you've read this far, you're either a member of the band, a friend of a member of the band, a relative of a member of the band, or a dedicated fan of the band. So I don't really need to explain to you why Vista Blue is awesome. But I will say that No Cliques, No Trends is cool because it combines all the best elements of Vista Blue into a single EP. Is this a pop-punk release or a power pop release? The answer is yes. I love how it embraces both of those styles and ultimately just sounds like Vista Blue. My initial response to this EP after giving it couple of listens was, "Wow, this is really good!" I suppose it's odd to be surprised that you really like a release from a band you've reviewed 38 35 times. But it wasn't really surprise so much as it was tremendous appreciation that a band could be this prolific yet still deliver fantastic songs every single time. And like all Vista Blue releases, this one makes me smile.
"The Boys Are Still In Town" clocks in under two minutes but still falls as close to power pop as it does to pop-punk. It's an amusing variation on the "Boys are back in town" theme — the twist being that these boys will never be back in town because they never left in the first place. I can't tell if this song is supposed to be mocking or just merely observational (I'm leaning towards the latter). Either way, it's freaking hilarious and bound to be stuck in your head for days. I have to admit those lines about dudes working where their parents used to work and eating where their parents used to eat hit really close to home! "The Girl on the Magazine Cover" is probably the purest pop song Vista Blue has ever done — yet it's as lean and efficient as any of the band's tunes. On "We Don't Think So," the band fires back at its detractors in a way that's more self-affirming than bitter. There's a good message in there about never allowing anyone to discourage you from doing the things that make you happy. If Vista Blue ever listened to the people who told them to stop wasting their time writing songs about baseball (and horror movies, curling, Christmas, the Olympics, scooters, The Outsiders, Thanksgiving, and muffins), the world would be a little less bright. Is "I Don't Wanna Spend the Summer With You" a classic pop-punk song about summer and girls? Not quite! Elsewhere the band rages against the fake Richard Bates and produces a sequel to "Bryan Funck Ripped Us Off" that's even better than the original!
Since we're all friends, family, and fans of Vista Blue, I can assume a common appreciation of the band's catalog. No Cliques, No Trends has to rate somewhere near the top of that catalog. It's full of power pop-punk earworms that are fun to listen to and fun to sing along with. Enjoy the real Vista Blue in top form!
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